Charlie Watts is not a musician. But he is the worst drummer of the rock era. Worse than that dickhead in Poison. More awful than the pillow fluffing mommas boy in Sonic Youth. Or am I thinking about another band? Whatever. Most drummers blow. And how come Vinnie Appice never gets the praise that he deserves? What's up with that?
http://www.vinnyappice.com/
Anyway...
Chuckles Watts hits his snare like a 2 year old hits his little sister.
Weak. No balls.
Motherfucker even drops the ball on the the intro to Jumpin' Jack Flash on Get Yer Ya Yas Out, fer cryin' out loud! And thats one of his songs! Did he forget how it went? Whatta dick.
Listening to him on stage with the Rolling Stones is like hearing a guy who has never heard a goddamn Stones song in his life. He's a sham. And a pussyfart of a drummer.
Stop buying Stones records!
Don't make Charlie any better off than he already is. He didn't earn that 11th century castle that he calls home. He simply got lucky. That castle belongs to Keith and Brian.
But most importantly, please don't forget that Charlie Watts has no idea how to play the drums properly. That's the main thing. He's a mess back there behind the kit. And whats with the whole losing your place on a song you recorded light years ago fuckups on stage? Whats the matter, Charlie? Still can't figure out how get out of the chorus of Under My Thumb?
Fuck Charlie Watts.
The great Bernard Purdie on Charlie Watts;
"He may have shook a tambourine, but have you ever seen him play live? He does that little hitch with the snare and hi-hat. Guy can't keep himself from doing it if his life depended on it." Purdie is referring to the way Watts pulls off the hi-hat when he hits the snare. "What's he think he is, a fucking reggae drummer? That shit don't swing, that shit don't rock. Not even white folks can dance to that hitch!"
Amen, brother!
And that leads me to Jimmy Miller. Not only did he engineer the Stones, but he also played drums on "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and the second half of "Tumbling Dice". Seems that poor old Charlie couldn't hack it. Couldn't wrap his mind around something that wasn't four to the floor bar band slop. So Jim stepped in and nailed it. Probably did it one take too. AND his drum parts were crucial to both songs! Jimmy Miller "got it". Watts wilted like a week old head of cabbage. Fuck him. And fuck the Rolling Stones too. And don't give me this "But John, they were so loose and soulful!" bullshit. I'm not buying it. The Rolling Stones have been on autopilot since they killed Brian Jones. Small Faces forever!
p.s. The Rolling Stones would be way better if they had Dan Peters on traps. I would pay to see that.
Well said. My favorite example of Watts' ineptitude has always been the last chorus of "I'm Free" where he comes in about a half beat early, stumbling like a brain damaged elephant. Maybe that's why Mick sang "I'm free to sing my song, though it gets out of time." I actually like the Stones but often wonder how much more I'd like them with a real drummer.
ReplyDeleteYep, Charlie makes those stumbles (there are 2, in fact, not 1), but the "out of time" line comes before either of them, no is obviously not a response to them.
DeleteWell-said. The guys seems like a nice guy, but his drumming lacks. If he was an unknown player now, seeking a gig with any good band, it's doubtful whether he'd score. When I was learning drums in the early 70s, his playing served me well because it was so easy to imitate! Friends thought I was a genius for playing Stones songs, but it was not so easy learning Sabbath, Zeppelin, Wishbone Ash, Kansas and others. Yet, as someone else here wrote, Charlie's good enough for the Stones.
DeleteTrue. I had to look up Capricorn One. It is, I guess, short for "hoax", Charlie may be a good timekeeper. He may be a nice guy. The "hoax" part, to subjective minds, is his reputation for greatness. In this matter, he IS the Capricorn One of drummers. He remains at the most basic, uninteresting level after decades of playing. Does it matter? Probably not. Is it annoying he is worshiped by deluded Stones fans? Yes, but not enough to lose sleep over. (I pen this at midnight, haha.)
DeleteJust give me Alan Jackson Jr. RIP
ReplyDeleteAl Jackson Jr. is the Louis Armstrong of drummers. An innovator and a master of his instrument. My favorite musician.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that others can see through this myth that CW was the greatest rock drummer of all time, or was some kind of jazz master/artist who re-invented rock drumming. He's dreadful, and worse, is apparently oblivious to how bad or how lucky he is. He must have recognised he was in the greatest rock band of all time, yet clearly couldn't be bothered to develop or hone his skill in over 45 years of playing. Lazy as well as incompetent. Why Keith and Mick never axed him in the late 60's, I have no idea because they deserved an awful lot better. If anyone is in any doubt, just listen to the beginning of Start Me Up - the most ironically named song of all time, given that the drummer struggles to start anything up. The greatest rock drummer was John Bonham - pioneering, passionate, technically proficient, and completely versatile - no-one comes even vaguely close.
ReplyDeleteWell-said...by the way, what goes on here? This blog appears to have been abandoned by its founder.
DeleteNice to see such appreciative comments on the
ReplyDeletegreatest drummer that ever walked the earth -
Al Jackson Jnr. I have also often wondered
what all the fuss was about with Charlie Watts!
The rhythm always sounds flat on the Rolling
Stones records to my ears, nice bloke though!
OW!Enough!! What a bunch of old women some drummers are-just plain jealous.Don't mourn or begrudge the drummers that got picked-just go out and BE picked!
ReplyDeleteGosh... why so angry. Charlie Watts musicianship speaks for itself. He's an iconic member of the world's greatest rock band. He was honored with being the cover subject of Get Yer Yayas Out. This is not an accident and did not happen without the rest of the band agreeing to it. Charlie routinely gets the loudest applause other than Mick and Keith during the band intros. The band loves him, the public loves him. Only these disgruntled musicians who have not the talent or the drive to succeed write these embittered remarks without a trace of self awareness or irony. Sad, angry men.
ReplyDeleteIf you like Charlie Watts than you either have absolutely no sense of rythm or you haven't got a clue what you are talking about. He is one of the most incompetent and inept drummers EVER. The guy just got lucky, that's all.....and he is lazy as heck since he hasn't learned ANYTHING in his 45 year long "career" as a drummer. If anything - he's getting worst with years. What a sham!
ReplyDeleteWell-said, Anonymous!!! I will copy and paste something I just wrote to Phil Ehart, drummer of Kansas:
DeletePhil, I just want to tell you I think you're great.
Of course, many fine drummers count you as a major influence.
While players like Charlie Watts and Keith Moon perennially find themselves at the top of "Best of" lists, better players like yourself, Floyd Sneed, Cesar Zuiderwijk, Bill Ward, Stuart Copeland, Simon Kirke, Frank Beard, Danny Seraphine and many others are often overlooked. You deserve more recognition for your virtuosity, and for your contributions to our vast tapestry of drumming. Thanks, from a drummer who "came up" with your music!
Mike Johnston observes that none of us are "better than" others; instead we are at "different distances" on the journey to perfection.
I like his perspective, but wonder why someone like Charlie Watts, who has remained at fundamental level for decades, gets rated higher by the deluded masses than someone of your advanced stature. Perhaps it's a matter of Stones fans rating the mediocre drummer as high as they rate the whole superior ensemble ("chemistry"). Or, maybe you're not as celebrated because music fans are less familiar with bands like Kansas, or their tastes are not sophisticated enough to appreciate such groups.
(One Stones fan friend once challenged me to "try to play as good as Charlie", so I played several Stones tunes, with one hand and two feet. Easy, but I find playing MOST Kansas tunes--with all fours--a challenge!)
Moon was flashy, and suited the music well, though again not complex. (Having said that, there are plenty of drummers, such as Ralph Molina, who are not "complex", but are still terrific players.)
One dude who pops up all the time is John Bonham. I won't argue that he belongs on any "Top Ten" list.
Here is a woman who smokes Charlie Watts, and who is probably technically superior to Keith Moon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Vewad_UKY
Thanks again, Phil!
Steve
PS I just researched one of the abovementioned lists, and non-drummer Meg White appeared!! I am sorry. I try to respect players at any level, but she is not a player. She is shit.
Thanks Boomer and other folks who can see subjective truth: Watts is not great. I saw a Kirk Douglas film once, "Dear Secretary". In the film, Kirk's wife is told that her husband's novel was good, but not as good as her's:"(yours) has greatness", he omplimented her. Charlie Watts's playing is adequate for the music, but he lacks greatness. Those who disagree confirm what Ozzy sang in Sabbath Bloody Sabbath: "You see life through distorted eyes...", or what I heard Peter Jennings remark back in the 90s; he said that some people see life through the prism of their own mindset. This defines Stones fans, when they behold Watts; a mediocre player magnified by their own wishes and malfunctioning perceptions.
DeleteWhy Mick and Keith never axed him?...MAYBE BECAUSE THEY LOVED HIS DRUMMING. They actually PAID to have him drum. He's not the most technical but his "feel" is priceless. Many drummers, not all, couldn't handle certain tracks: Ringo didn't play on "I Feel Fine." Kenny Jones played on It's only r 'n' r. But Charlie is the perfect drummer for the Stones. You guys sound VERY disgruntled no doubt because of poor nutrition and prostate problems. SAY NO TO DRUGS! PS, if Keith didn't like him he would be out of the band or DEAD by now...AND he likes it when Watts pulls up on the high hat, read Richards' Autobio. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteRingo didn't play on I Feel Fine? What evidence do you have to support this? When the Beatles got Ringo in, it was because Lennon wanted a drummer that could play the drum part to Ray Charles' What'd I Say which is practically the same drumming. And Ringo nailed it.
DeleteI love the way he plays the hats,.lets the music breathe, hes got the hi hats sounding so primevil it just wants you to dance and sing. JB is fantaatic, K M great. These guys influenced my drum techniques and I thank them all dearly, love Frankie Banallie and Tommy Lee as well.
ReplyDeleteI freaking love the way Charlie plays!! "Charlie's good tonight. Charlie's good every night."
ReplyDeletewow! this guys was just lucky to be there cause it s not his talent that put him there.bad technic. no power. no drive and the fact that he kills his right hand on hi_hat during 4-4 beats puzzles me!!!
ReplyDeleteThat hi-hat thing sure is goofy.
DeleteSo much hate. Don't bite your tongue, drummer guy. You could get poisoned.
ReplyDeleteCharlie don't surf....
ReplyDeleteSo much I could say, but I'll stick with "White drummers don't swing, except for Charlie Watts" (Mick Jagger) and You whine like a stuck pig with no talent who only gets an erection if he's trashing someone hundreds of thousands of times more talented then he is...so Piss off you lazy untalented slag, Charlie don't give a fuck what you whine about :)
ReplyDeleteYou are a pure cunt . Go fuck yasen .Charlie rocks.
ReplyDelete